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IBS manifests through a variety of signs, from digestive disturbances to shifts in bowel habits, fatigue, and feelings of anxiety. Pinpointing triggers and adjusting your diet and lifestyle can offer relief. Remember, it's crucial to consult your doctor if you exhibit any of these symptoms, as they could signify another condition. This article serves as a guide to aid in recognizing potential signs of IBS.
How to Recognize IBS Symptoms
Let's delve into the most common symptoms associated with IBS and what steps to take if you suspect you're experiencing them, including installing a bidet.
Ache and Twinge
Pain in the abdomen is a primary symptom and a pivotal factor in diagnosis. Ordinarily, your gut and brain maintain digestion's rhythm through hormones, nerves, and signals released by beneficial gut bacteria. However, in IBS, these cooperative signals distort, leading to spasms and painful tension in the digestive tract's muscles. This discomfort typically arises in the lower or entire abdomen rather than the upper region alone. Pain often subsides following a bowel movement.
Adjusting your diet might alleviate pain and other symptoms. Additionally, treatments such as bowel relaxants like peppermint oil, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and hypnotherapy could prove beneficial. For persistent pain, consulting a gastroenterologist can guide you to medications specifically tailored to ease IBS discomfort.
Sensitivity to Foods
Approximately 80% of IBS sufferers pinpoint specific foods that trigger symptoms. Consequently, many individuals with IBS proactively avoid these foods, sometimes excluding multiple items from their diets. The reasons these foods trigger symptoms remain unclear.
These food intolerances differ from allergies, and trigger foods do not cause measurable digestive differences. While trigger foods vary from person to person, some common culprits include gas-inducing foods like FODMAPs, as well as lactose and gluten. Many with IBS identify specific trigger foods, such as FODMAPs, and stimulants like caffeine.
Mood Changes
IBS can be linked with anxiety and depression. It remains uncertain whether IBS symptoms are a manifestation of mental stress or if the strain of living with IBS predisposes individuals to psychological challenges. Regardless of the sequence, anxiety and IBS symptoms reinforce each other in a vicious cycle. Within a substantial study encompassing 94,000 participants, individuals with IBS exhibited a likelihood of over 50% for an anxiety disorder and over 70% for a mood disorder such as depression.
Another study compared cortisol levels (a stress hormone) in people with and without IBS. During a 2-week period, those with IBS exhibited more significant cortisol changes, indicative of heightened stress levels.
Furthermore, anxiety reduction therapies have shown promise in reducing both stress and IBS symptoms. IBS often creates a cycle where digestive issues heighten anxiety, which in turn exacerbates digestive symptoms. Addressing anxiety can lead to a reduction in other IBS symptoms.
Bloating and Flatulence
Altered digestion in IBS triggers increased gas production in the gut, resulting in discomforting bloating. Countless individuals grappling with IBS recognize bloating as one of the most enduring and bothersome symptoms of the condition. A study of 337 people with IBS revealed that 83% experienced bloating and cramping. These symptoms were more prevalent in females and those with constipation-predominant or mixed types of IBS. Avoiding lactose and other FODMAPs may help alleviate bloating for some individuals.
Fatigue and Sleep Disturbances
More than half of individuals with IBS report experiencing fatigue. In another study, 160 adults diagnosed with IBS described a sense of low stamina that limited their physical activities in work, leisure, and social interactions.
Another study involving 85 adults found that the intensity of IBS symptoms correlated with severity of fatigue. Furthermore, IBS is associated with insomnia, marked by challenges in falling asleep and frequent awakenings throughout the night, which can lead to feeling tired in the morning. A study of 112 adults with IBS showed that 13% reported poor sleep quality. Another study with 50 individuals found that those with IBS slept approximately an hour longer but felt less refreshed in the morning compared to those without IBS.
Interestingly, inadequate sleep forecasts heightened gastrointestinal symptoms the subsequent day. Individuals with IBS tend to experience more fatigue and less refreshing sleep than their counterparts without the condition. Fatigue and poor sleep quality often correlate with more severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Altered Bowel Movements
In IBS, sluggish movement of stool through the intestines might result in dehydration, leading to hard stool that exacerbates constipation symptoms. Conversely, rapid transit of stool leaves little time for water absorption, resulting in loose stools characteristic of diarrhoea.
IBS can also cause mucus accumulation in stool, a symptom not typically associated with other causes of constipation. If you notice blood in your stool, it could signal a separate, potentially serious medical condition, and you should visit your doctor immediately for a proper diagnosis. Blood in stool may appear red but often presents as dark or black with a tarry consistency.
Constipation
Despite seeming contradictory, IBS can lead to constipation as well as diarrhoea. Constipation-predominant IBS affects roughly 35% of individuals with IBS. Altered communication between the brain and bowel can either speed up or slow down the normal transit time of your stool. Slowed transit results in increased water absorption from stool, making it harder to pass. Constipation, characterized by fewer than three bowel movements per week, often includes abdominal pain that diminishes after a bowel movement.
Individuals with IBS and constipation usually experience a sensation of incomplete bowel movements, prompting unnecessary straining. In addition to standard IBS treatments, incorporating exercise, increased water intake, soluble fibre consumption, probiotics, and limited use of laxatives may offer relief. Recognizing constipation is prevalent, yet the presence of abdominal pain that eases post-bowel movement and a sensation of incomplete bowel movements after passing stool could indicate IBS.
Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea-predominant IBS is one of the primary types of the disorder, affecting about one-third of individuals with IBS. Accelerated bowel transit in IBS can lead to sudden, urgent bowel movements. Some individuals find this a significant stressor, even avoiding social situations for fear of unexpected diarrhoea. Stool consistency in diarrhoea-predominant IBS tends to be loose, watery and may contain mucus.
Fluctuating Constipation and Diarrhoea
Around 23% of individuals with IBS experience mixed or alternating constipation and diarrhoea. In this variant of IBS, chronic, recurrent abdominal pain accompanies both diarrhoea and constipation. Pain is a crucial indicator that changes in bowel movements are not solely due to diet or mild infections. Symptoms of mixed IBS can vary widely from person to person, necessitating a personalized treatment approach rather than generalized recommendations.
Seeking Assistance for Possible IBS Symptoms
It's vital to understand that this article is a guideline, and any symptoms listed could also indicate other health conditions. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's imperative to consult with your doctor for a proper evaluation.
Enhancing Quality of Life with Bidets for IBS Management
At Bumwash, we advocate using a bidet alongside healthy lifestyle changes to enhance your quality of life. You can view our entire range of bidets by clicking here. Many individuals with IBS consider a bidet toilet seat an essential item. A bidet facilitates post-bowel movement cleanliness, eliminating the need for excessive toilet paper use.
Although IBS doesn't cause lasting harm to the colon, it does prompt frequent bathroom visits. This excessive use of toilet paper can cause skin rashes, irritation, and sensitivity. Bidets offer a more gentle and soothing water cleanse, making life with IBS much more manageable. For those with frequent bathroom visits due to IBS, a bidet toilet seat provides a fresh, irritation-free alternative to toilet paper and disposable wipes. Above all, bidet use offers a swift, gentle, and efficient method for cleansing after bowel movements.
